


Curious and Curiouser

by Ellienerd14



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Human Alice, Kara and Luther being Good Parents(TM), Nothing triggering though, Some angst, reference to Todd's abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 14:14:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16286135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellienerd14/pseuds/Ellienerd14
Summary: It's their first Halloween as free people, so naturally Kara and Luther go all out for their daughter.-On their way home, Alice chats excitedly about the party. Kara can’t blame her, it’s the first holiday they can celebrate together, alone in their new house. (Rented for now but a safe space for their little family.) Christmas last year was nice but everything was still new then, still haunting them.





	Curious and Curiouser

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gleek_runner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleek_runner/gifts).



> My DBH [playlist ](https://open.spotify.com/user/klaineygays/playlist/7pfrGUbJeKPArct6n5xsu6?si=w_RIoLmVR_-Y3-kczj14oQ) is here!

 In their new life in Canada, picking Alice up from school is Kara’s favourite part. Her job requires early mornings and long hours, so it’s Luther who drops Alice off. She finishes her shift at the cafe - still only on clean up duty, but she’s getting paid, and she’s always given a pastry to take home to her daughter - and goes to collect Alice from Elementary school.

Alice’s always full of chatter afterwards. Now they’re far away from Todd’s abuse and hidden away, with no chance of him finding them (as if he’d get close if Todd ever did - between herself and Luther, Alice is the best protected little girl in the world), she’s opened up.

“Mom!” Alice shouts, running out of her line and throwing herself at Kara excitedly.

“Hey Alice,” she kneels down, letting the young girl hug her, “good day?”

“Yeah! Miss Carroll in the library gave me a new book called the ‘BFG’! I think Da-Luther will like it too.”

“That’s great sweetie,” Kara replies.

She takes Alice’s Pokemon-themed backpack, spotting a crumpled but bright orange leaflet at the bottom. As she pulls it out, her favourite teacher hurries over. “So, Mrs Archer, are you coming?”

Kara looks down at the leaflet again. **HALLOWEEN PARTY, COSTUME CONTEST AND PUMPKIN CARVING** is written on the top. Alice smiles up at her, bouncing on her tiptoes to read it.

Kara does a quick search within her internal database about the holiday. It seems fun and it’s the first time she’ll be celebrating the holiday with Alice. (As far as remembers, the reset meant she only had a year of memories to go on.)

“Would you like that Alice?” Kara asks and her daughter nods enthusiastically in response. “I think that’s a yes.”

“Excellent,” Miss Carroll gives Alice a fond smile, “I can’t wait to see you costume.”

On their way home, Alice chats excitedly about the party. Kara can’t blame her, it’s the first holiday they can celebrate together, alone in their new house. (Rented for now but a safe space for their little family.) Christmas last year was nice but everything was still new then, still haunting them.

So much has changed in the months they have been living in Ottawa. Alice is taller now, more confident and blossoming into the happy little girl Kara was only dreaming about last year. It makes it all worth it, she thinks.

 

* * *

 

Both Kara and Luther were designed to cook a dozen meals at once. All the androids were, once, in the days before they were free. Now, there’s only one mouth to feed (unless Alice has a friend over) and they cook together. Luther sings as he cuts up vegetables, which, combined with the sound of Alice colouring on the table, and the radio, is one of the most peaceful sounds she can imagine.

It’s nice, having a family. Before, all Kara can remember is flashes. Todd shouting. Alice asking her to recharge outside her bedroom. A conveyor belt. Old homes. Memory resets.

Now, there’s school runs and dinners and snow fights.

Now, there’s Luther kissing her head when she’s stressed.

Now, there’s the three of them, relationship status stuck on _‘family’._

_Her family._

 

* * *

 

Most nights, they eat together. Only Alice actually eats anything, but she always insists on Kara and Luther joining her. But, it’s not a chore. It’s a privilege, to hear her childish rambles and help her with homework. Motherhood is what Kara devianted for.

Alice pushes her pasta around her plate.

“Are you alright?” Luther asks her.

“Mom,” Alice starts, almost too quiet too pick up, but Kara has perfect hearing, “do you not remember our last Halloween at all?”

Regretfully, Kara is forced to shake her head. No. The memory wipe meant months of living in the Williams house is lost forever. Alice tells her about it sometimes but usually in the context of nightmares. Still, Kara would do anything to remember more about her first meeting with Alice.

“You took me trick-or-treating,” Alice explains, she glances at Luther briefly, “Da- no, Todd wouldn’t let me get a costume. But, you helped me make a tutu. When he fell asleep, you took me to every house in the neighbourhood.”

As Alice explains, Kara gets a brief flash of her in pink, clutching to an orange bag. Deviants had a way of remembering, even after memory wipes, Markus had told her once.

Still, she wishes she could remember it.

“We can go this year,” Luther says, cutting in through the silence.

“He was really mad,” Alice continues, tears welling up, “and he broke you. When you came back, you forgot me.”

Kara moves so she’s crouching by Alice. The little girl falls into her arms.

“That won’t happen again,” she promises, “I won’t leave you. Neither of us will.”

Alice rubs her eyes. “Promise me?”

“I promise,” Kara replies firmly.

“I promise,” Luther echoes. He sits down on the floor and wraps his arms around them both. Alice clutches his jacket, sitting on both of their laps.

In that moment, Kara knows she has to do something good to make up for last years bittersweet memories.

 

* * *

 

Making the costume for Alice is Luther’s idea. He suggests it to Kara after they put her to bed, curled around Timothy and clutching her favourite book.

Before Kara can connect to the internet and search designs, he grabs her wrist.

“She wasn’t the only one crying.”

“I wish I could remember more,” Kara confesses, “that’s one aspect where humans have an advantage over us. They can’t just be forced to forget.”

“It’s not your fault,” he reassures, in the same soft voice he reads to Alice in. “I wish I had woken up sooner. I helped Zlatko reset so many of our kind…” his voice trails off.

“We were all slaves before we woke up,” Kara quotes Markus, “but some with more cruel masters than others.”

They don’t say anymore to each other. They're already had this conversation. And some things are left better unsaid. Besides, the evening has exhausted them both. Luther curls around her on the sofa, holding her until she goes into recharge mode.

 

* * *

 

They work on her costume together, hiding it from Alice. It becomes a game, somewhere down the line, of who can distract her from the project the best. Luther buys her a decoy costume - a witches hat and velvet dress. Kara orders two metres of puffy blue fabric.

On the day before the party, Alice comes downs, holding the black dress in her arms.

“I didn’t mean to,” she says, showing Kara the stain. She looks so guilty, that Kara feels a little bad for putting it there.

 _It’s part of the plan,_ Luther reminds her through their connection.

“You can’t wear that tomorrow,” Kara tells her, biting back a smile at the surprise to come.

“Oh.” Alice shuffles awkwardly. “So, I can’t go?”

“Maybe we can find you something new,” Luther suggests, “have a look in your wardrobe.”

Alice carefully puts down the stained dress and scrampers upstairs. Grinning at each other, the two androids creep upstairs behind her, just in time to catch her happy squeal.

“Mom! Dad!” She runs towards them, arms full of blue material. “You did this?”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it!” Alice replies, spinning around, “I’m going to try it on now!”

Luther is smiling and if he could blush, Kara was sure there would be a blue tint to his face. “She loves it.”

“It was a good idea,” Kara compliments him. The theoretical blush deepens.

 _“No, no! The adventures first, explanations take such a dreadful time,”_ Alice quotes, stepping out her room in her [bright Alice in Wonderland dress.](https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/155163149633852198/)

“You look so pretty,” Kara tells her. She brushes back Alice’s hair and helps fix the bow in her hair.

“I’ve never had such a nice dress before,” Alice says. She looks up at Luther with big eyes, “Mom said this was your idea. Thank you so much.”

“You really do look beautiful,” Luther tells her, “our little girl.”

Kara grips his hand. She might burst with happiness.

 

* * *

 

For the party, Kara wears the hat Alice had originally planned to wear. Luther wore a t-shirt with a pocket watch on and bunny eyes to match his daughters costume.

Alice wears her homemade costume. She spins in it as soon as she steps out of the car. There’s something about the childish giddiness that makes Kara feel soft inside.

This is a memory that she won’t let any resets delete.

The dress explodes at her waist, a vibrant blue colour with a white apron and bright bow on her head. It almost swallows Alice up completely. But, Alice has already told them she never wants to take it off again.

Miss Carroll greets them. “Oh wow, you look lovely Alice.”

“Thank you! Mom and Dad made it for me because I was sad last Halloween.”

“Oh really,” Miss Carroll gives Kara a pitiful look. The little she knows of Alice’s past, before she was ‘adopted’ by them, seemingly concerning her, “what about this year?”

Alice beams and takes both of her parents hands, so they were all connected in a line. She looks up at Kara and meets her eyes.

“Best Halloween ever!”

**Author's Note:**

> I adore Kara and Alice's storyline in this game, so it seemed only fair to give them a sweet little fic. 
> 
> (In case you were curious, Kara's surname is the fake one she uses in the motel.)
> 
> I was conflicted by whether or not to go with human or android Alice. But, what's Halloween without stuffing your face? Plus,[this fanart](https://bazwillendinflames.tumblr.com/post/178831142604/grassprint-au-that-i-would-have-preferred) made me emotional. 
> 
> I would love for you to leave me comment and let me know what you thought!  
> (My tumblr: @bazwillendinflames + my twitter: @ellienerd14)


End file.
